Flooding reported throughout Georgetown as Sandy hits shore

Roadways and yards throughout Georgetown were flooded on Monday night, less than an hour after Hurricane Sandy made landfall well to the north.

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By Scott Goss

Sussex Countian

By Scott Goss

Posted Oct. 29, 2012 at 8:55 PM
Updated Oct 29, 2012 at 10:27 PM

By Scott Goss

Posted Oct. 29, 2012 at 8:55 PM
Updated Oct 29, 2012 at 10:27 PM

Georgetown, Del.

Roadways and yards throughout Georgetown were flooded on Monday night, less than an hour after Hurricane Sandy made landfall well to the north.

"It's pretty bad right now," Town Public Works Director Bill Bradley said at about 8 p.m. "There are ditches full of water and there are manholes overflowing in all parts of the town."

Bradley said the flow of rainwater was threatening a handful of homes in the Village of Cinderberry active adult community.

However, no evacuations are planned at this time, he added.

"It's getting unsafe for us to stay out, so the police are going to monitor it and we'll play it by ear," he said.

More than 500 residents of the greater Georgetown area were without power as of 8 p.m., according to Delmarva Power.

Bradley said at least two transformers had blown Monday evening, including one near Georgetown Middle School on West Market Street and another by the Georgetown Police Department on North Race Street.

According to the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center, Hurricane Sandy was causing 60 mph winds, with gusts up to 75 mph, as it came ashore about 25 miles south of Atlantic City, N.J.

Although the storm tracked farther north than initially expected, county officials said it was still close enough to give Sussex County some of the storm's strongest effects, with moderate to severe tidal flooding and ocean surges. Up to 9 inches of rain had been reported in some areas, with the bulk of the storm not expected to taper off until Tuesday.

"Even when we get to the tail end, there is still going to be strong winds and heavy rain," Bradley said. "We're just trying to wait it out over the next 18 to 24 hours."

Anyone with questions about evacuations or other issues is asked to call the Sussex County EOC storm line at (302) 856-7366.

Indian River Inlet Bridge Update:

Contrary to erroneous reports by repeated by social and traditional media, the Indian River Inlet Bridge remains intact.

Officials from the Delaware Department of Transportation said they believe the reports were sparked by images from a traffic camera that showed the bridge in the distance and large amounts of water in the foreground.

The water in the image is from a major portion of State Route 1 between Dewey Beach and the Indian River Inlet that was closed Sunday after being washed out from breached dunes.